The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-03
FAMOUS ELEPHANTS.
Most of Those on Exhibition are Vicious
and Ill-Tempered.

FAMOUS ELEPHANTS.
Most of Those on Exhibition are yIcious
and Ill-Tempered.
Though comparatively common in
/ these days of menageries. museums.
I and geological gardens. the elephant
| Is one OF the most attractive and intel
| lIgent of beasts, and eNcites more ad-
| miration, wonder. awe, and respect
| perhaps, than. any other of the animal
| kingdom. In the circus street-parade
the elephant is the surest card for
| drawing a crowd that a manager can
| get. In the menagerie tent the ele-
I phant herd Is always surrounded by
numerous company, and in the ring of
l the entertainment pavilion nothing
arouses greater enthusiasm than the
almost human performances of these
mighty giants of the Jungle
The elephant, as you say, is a COM
mon animal nowadays, but. after all.
beyond his size. shape, and great
strength. and the fact that he Is hunt
ed for ivory, but little is generally
known about him.
The speaker was j. Charles Davis.
east, and in the very heart of the
country where the elephant flourishes
and Is hunted and trapped for trans
portation to European and American
centers.
In former ages the elephant roam
ed over this continent from the ex-
treme shores of North America TO the
Gulf of Mexico and across the country
fro he. 4 q -.
but to-day this mighty race of beasts
Is represented by only two species. the
African and ASiatic. both of which are
gradually becoming extinct. The At
rican elephant, of which the famous
Jumbo was type, grows to much
greater height than those of the Asiat-
ic species. The difference is ut least
foot. The maximum height of the
African elephants is about eleven
feet, but Jumbo exceeded this height
by two inches. The extreme height
of the ASiatic elephant is ten feet.
although there Is on record a case
where, like Jumbo. an Asiatic ele-
phant grew several inches over the
accepted maximum of the species.
The growth of the Asiatic elephant is
said to be about eleven inches in the
first year. eight the second. six the
third, five in the fourth and fifth, and
so on, decreasing year by year, until
Its full growth is attained. At what
age this period may be is still in dis
pute. When Jumbo was killed he was
20 years old, but Professor Ward, who
mounted the skeleton, says he was
still growing. The weight of an ele-
phant at birth ranges from 200 to 2I5
pounds. Bridgeport, when born. was
three feet in height and weighed 245
pounds. America, born in Philadel-
phia, weighed PA pounds, and was
something under three feet in height.
''While Jumbo was prince among
elephants, still there have been many
famous beasts of his race beside him.
Among them may be mentioned En-
peror, which, while in Troy, dashed
into Erastus Corning's iron foundry
and walked over a bed of red hot
Goals and metal. This SO enraged him
that he rushed from the foundry into
the street and tossed men and women
about with his trunk like an expert
juggler toSses ball. Three persons
were killed and five injured, while
property valued ut s., 900 was DESTROY
ed. Chieftain. belonging to old John |
Robinson, was noted for his violence,
and while in Charlotte, North Caro-
lima, killed his keeper. Barnum's |
Albert, who killed his keeper at Keene.
New Hampshire; Forepaugh's Done |
and Romeo-who before he died in
Chicago, fourteen years ago, killed |
three men and DESTROYED property
valued at $50, 000-also distinguished !
themselves by deeds of violence.
Hebe, Barnums Asiatic elephant, the
mother of Bridgeport, is noted for her
even temper. She showed herself to
be a kindly old soul and very motherly
all the while she was nursing the baby, |
and has never been known 10 resent
any familiarity that her keeper might
take with her. Alice, however, Mr..
Barnum's latest purchase-th the widow
of Jumbo-is just the opposite of all
this. Even Jumbo himSelf-the chill
dren's friend-was noted for his bad
temper. and it was because of his ten
dency to dangerous outbursts of tenn
per that the London Geological So
ciety sold the animal to Mr.. Barnum
for $4,000. The elephants on exhibi-
tion in this country are without doubt
rogue or solitary animals. As n rule
travel in herds and evade
capture in consequence. The solitary
or rogue elephant. however, is the one
usually trapped, and the same vicious
ness and ill-temper that makes of
them rogues, renders them hard to
handle, even after they have been
years in captivity. As to the age
which animals of this class attain
there is much dispute, although in In
dia they say elephants live to be from
100 to 12O years old. The average
age, however, is placed at IS years"
Although Mr.. Davis has been in the
land from whence the white elephants
are supposed to come and has inspect
ed King Thebaw's herd of these So
called sacred animals, he refuses to
talk on the subject, and would only
say that he understands that the white
even of color a little
lighter than the ordinary tint, is very
rare, and that in 400 years only
twenty-five animals deserving Of this
distinction have been captured. The
first white elephant ever seen outside
of its native land was exhibited $50 |
years ago in Holland. York |
MuJI and T'y~T43sooe